Like many driver training courses extant, this one starts in the classroom. Ex –racer Jason Carvahlo was acting as our chief instructor and went on to explain the day’s schedule, what exactly we’d be doing and some basic theory. The real fun began on the makeshift course BMW had set up- made even better by the fact that our steeds were 435i M Sports (the automotive gods blessed my co-driver and I with the only manual gearbox example on hand.)
The morning was made up of panic stops with and without ABS and an introduction to understeer on a skidpad that was hosed down to diminish the grip of the smooth pavement even further. Unsurprisingly, our group came away impressed at the level of security ABS imparts in a panic situation and how well BMW’s suite of electronic driver aids can quell a vicious outbreak of understeer.
The afternoon was much more fun as the instructors turned up the wick- speeds for each exercise were steadily ramped up, and drivers were making the car do things they’d never dreamed they/the car were capable of. To see the enlightenment spread across their faces when they’d nail a task was pretty cool, and no doubt one of the more rewarding parts of our instructor’s jobs. My favorite exercise was “Creating oversteer, and then eliminating it”. Obviously the fun factor gets pretty maxed out when you’re asked to make a 435i dance, and watching the reactions on the faces who’ve never experienced a good tank slapper was epic.
I have no doubt that those in my group came away better drivers compared to their skill set prior to the BMW Advanced Driver Trainng program, which is pretty much the whole point. Even yours truly, a self-described car control maestro (yeah, right) could only burn with embarrassment when I oversteered right off the skidpad in a move that could only be defined as incredibly ham-fisted. But with the patience of our instructors, I had the Bimmer pirouetting like a graceful dancer by the end of the exercise.
BMW has been doing this since 2001, and every day 3 courses are run right out of HQ in Munich. They have proven their commitment to building automobiles which offer superior dynamics that not only engage the driver but contribute to more predictable behavior when things get too hot. Now, they show owners and would be owners alike how to use them properly to their advantage in real world situations- while having a little fun in the process.
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